Every year, once you have worked out your zakat, a second question arrives: who exactly may receive it? Allah did not leave this to guesswork. He named the eight groups in a single verse, Surah At-Tawbah (9), verse 60, and in practice almost all zakat today goes to the first two of them, the poor and the needy. This guide walks through each group, the people who can never receive your zakat, the relatives who can, and the Hanafi rules that decide whether your payment actually counts.
Which verse of the Qur'an says who can receive zakat?
The distribution of zakat is one of the few matters in the Qur'an that Allah settled in full detail, with a list. The verse comes in Surah At-Tawbah, the ninth surah, in a passage where some people had complained about how charity was shared out. Allah answered by naming the recipients Himself:
The word "only" at the start restricts zakat to these eight categories. Zakat is not general charity that may go to any good cause. It is a fixed right of specific people, and if it is given outside these groups it simply does not count as zakat, however worthy the cause.
The verse ends by calling this "an obligation from Allah". That is why the scholars took such care over each category: a person can pay the right amount at the right time and still fail to discharge the duty if it reaches the wrong hands. You can read the verse with its translation in our Qur'an reader for Surah At-Tawbah.
What are the eight groups who can receive zakat?
Here is each group as the Hanafi scholars explain it, with what it means in practice today.
- The poor (al-fuqara'). People who own something, but less than the nisab beyond their basic needs.
- The needy (al-masakin). People who own little or nothing at all and may need to ask others. In the Hanafi school the miskin is worse off than the faqir.
- Zakat workers (al-'amilina 'alayha). Collectors appointed by an Islamic state to gather and distribute zakat. They are paid from zakat for their work, even if they are not poor, because it is a wage, not charity. A volunteer at a local charity is not in this group.
- Those whose hearts are to be won (al-mu'allafati qulubuhum). In the Prophet's ﷺ time some people were given zakat to strengthen their attachment to Islam. In the Hanafi school this share is no longer given, because the Companions stopped it in the time of Abu Bakr and 'Umar once Islam was strong.
- Freeing slaves (fir-riqab). Zakat was used to help slaves buy their freedom. This category is historical, since that form of slavery no longer exists.
- Those in debt (al-gharimin). People whose debts, once subtracted from what they own, leave them below the nisab. Their debt must be for something lawful.
- In the way of Allah (fi sabilillah). In the Hanafi school this means poor people striving in Allah's cause, such as a poor fighter in a lawful jihad, a poor person cut off on the way to Hajj, and, according to many later Hanafi scholars, a poor student of sacred knowledge. It does not mean every good project, such as building a hall or printing leaflets.
- The stranded traveller (ibn as-sabil). Someone away from home who has lost access to his money, even if he is wealthy at home. He takes only what he needs to get back, and if he can borrow instead, that is better.
A thread runs through almost all of these: need. Apart from the zakat worker, every category is someone who lacks what they need, whether permanently, because of debt, or because they are stranded. That is why scholars say that when in doubt, give to the clearly poor.
Who counts as poor enough to take zakat?
In the Hanafi school the line is drawn by the nisab, the same threshold that makes zakat due. A person may receive zakat if they do not own, beyond their basic needs, wealth equal to the nisab of silver, which is 612.36 grams of silver (traditionally 52.5 tola). Because silver is far cheaper than gold, this is a modest threshold. Check the current local value of that silver with your masjid or local scholars, or use our zakat calculator.
What counts is any wealth beyond basic needs, not only cash. Spare gold jewellery, a second property, extra goods or a large savings account all count towards it, even if they are not wealth on which zakat itself would be due.
What are basic needs?
Basic needs (hawaij asliyyah) are the things a person needs to live with dignity, and they are not counted against them:
- The home they live in, with its ordinary furniture and household items.
- Clothes they wear, for all seasons.
- Tools of their trade, such as a tailor's machine, a carpenter's tools or a delivery driver's motorbike.
- Books a student or scholar needs for study.
- Transport they genuinely use, and food for the household.
So a family can own a modest flat, a working car and a phone and still be eligible, if beyond these they own less than the nisab. Equally, a person with a low salary but a large unused plot of land is not eligible, because the plot is wealth beyond need.
Who cannot receive your zakat?
Some people are excluded even if they are poor, and some are excluded because they are not poor. In the Hanafi school, you may not give your zakat to:
- Your parents and grandparents, on both sides, however far up.
- Your children and grandchildren, however far down.
- Your spouse. A husband cannot give his zakat to his wife, and in the main Hanafi position a wife cannot give hers to her husband either.
- Anyone who owns the nisab beyond their basic needs.
- The minor child of a wealthy father, because the child is counted as rich through the father.
- Descendants of Banu Hashim, the family of the Prophet ﷺ, such as Sayyids. Help them generously from your other charity instead.
- Non-Muslims, in the Hanafi school. Help them with general sadaqah, which is rewarded.
Why parents, children and spouse? Because you are already responsible for supporting them, or they share your household. Giving them zakat would be like moving money from one pocket to another. You should support them from your own wealth, which is a reward of its own.
The exclusion of the Prophet's ﷺ family is an honour, not a slight. He said that these charities are the impurities of people's wealth and are not lawful for Muhammad or for the family of Muhammad (Sahih Muslim, hadith 1072). In Sahih al-Bukhari (hadith 1491) it is reported that when his grandson al-Hasan, as a small child, put a date from the charity into his mouth, the Prophet ﷺ made him spit it out, saying that his family do not eat charity. The scholars apply this to the descendants of 'Ali, 'Abbas, Ja'far, 'Aqil and al-Harith ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib.
Which relatives can receive zakat?
This is good news that many people miss. Apart from the direct line above and below you and your spouse, other relatives can receive your zakat if they are eligible, and it is better to give to them than to strangers.
That includes brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts on both sides, nephews and nieces, cousins, and in-laws such as a son-in-law, daughter-in-law, father-in-law or mother-in-law. You may also give to a poor stepchild or step-parent.
When Zaynab, the wife of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, asked whether she could spend her charity on her husband and orphans in her care, the Prophet ﷺ said she would have two rewards: the reward of kinship and the reward of charity (Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith 1466). Imam Abu Hanifah understood her charity here as voluntary sadaqah rather than zakat, which is why a wife still does not give her zakat to her husband in the main Hanafi position. Scholars take from this that giving to needy relatives earns a double reward: charity and keeping family ties.
One family, one test
If your sister is struggling while you send all your zakat to a charity abroad, ask yourself whether the nearer need comes first. It usually does, as long as she truly meets the conditions.
Does zakat have to be given to a person, or can it go to an organisation?
The Hanafi school has a condition called tamlik, which means making the recipient the owner. Zakat is only paid when an eligible person receives it as their own property, free to use it as they wish. This has several consequences:
- No buildings. Zakat cannot be spent directly on building a masjid, a madrasa, a well or a hospital, because no eligible person owns it.
- No funeral costs. It cannot pay for shrouding or burying the dead.
- No debts of the deceased. It cannot settle a dead person's debt, because the dead cannot own.
- Living debtors are different. You may pay a poor living person's debt for them if they ask you to, since you are acting on their behalf.
Madrasas may take zakat for poor students, but properly they give it to the students as their own, for example as food, clothing, books or a stipend that the student owns. Ask how a madrasa handles this before you give.
Charities and organisations act as your agents (wakil). Your zakat is not paid when you hand it to them; it is paid when they pass it into the ownership of an eligible person. So it is fair and wise to ask any charity: Do you keep zakat separate from general funds? Do you give it only to the eight groups? How do you make sure the recipient owns it? A good organisation will be glad you asked.
What about students, converts, employees and other special cases?
A student of knowledge
A poor student studying the Qur'an or the religion, even a strong and healthy one, may receive zakat so they can keep studying. Scholars count this among the best uses of zakat. A student from a wealthy family who has his own means is not eligible.
A new Muslim
A convert who is poor may receive zakat as one of the poor. In the Hanafi school there is no separate share for them as "hearts to be won", but their need often makes them ideal recipients, especially if they lost family support by accepting Islam.
A person in debt
Imagine a man with a steady job who owes a large sum after a medical emergency. Once his debt is subtracted from what he owns, he has less than the nisab, so he may receive zakat to clear it. Someone who borrowed to fund a luxury lifestyle and still owns plenty beyond need is a different case, and so is debt taken for something unlawful.
Your employee or domestic helper
You cannot pay wages or a bonus that you owe from your zakat. Zakat is not a payment for work. But if your driver, cleaner or helper is poor, you may give them zakat as a separate gift beyond what they earn.
Wife or adult child of a wealthy man
A wife does not become rich through her husband's wealth. If she herself owns less than the nisab beyond need, she may receive zakat from others. The same applies to a poor adult son or daughter of a wealthy father. Only the minor child of a wealthy father is excluded.
How and when should zakat be given?
Intention. Zakat needs the intention that this is zakat, made when you give it or when you set the money aside for it. You do not need to tell the recipient. You may call it a gift, Eid money or help, which saves their dignity, as long as you intend zakat in your heart.
Cash or kind. In the Hanafi school you may give money, or goods such as food, clothes, school uniforms or a sewing machine, counted at their market value. Cash is usually better because the poor person knows their own needs best, but goods are fine where they help more.
How much to one person. It is disliked to give one person so much in one go that they become owners of the nisab, unless they have debts or a large family that will absorb it. Spreading zakat wisely helps more people.
Local or abroad. The Prophet ﷺ told Mu'adh that zakat is "taken from their rich and given to their poor" (Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith 1395). For this reason the Hanafi scholars prefer zakat to be given in the town where the wealth is, among its poor, and they dislike sending it elsewhere except to needy relatives, to people in greater need, or to students of knowledge. Many families in the Gulf rightly send zakat to poor relatives in India for this reason.
Paying early. Once you own the nisab, you may pay zakat in advance, even for future years, for example in small monthly amounts. At the end of the year, compare what you paid with what was due and make up any shortfall. Do not delay zakat once it is due without a good reason.
Many people choose Ramadan for their zakat because rewards are multiplied. That is fine, provided your zakat year is not delayed past its due date. Our Ramadan 2027 dates page helps you plan.
What if zakat goes to the wrong person by mistake?
If you took reasonable care, asked or looked into the person's situation, and genuinely believed they were eligible, then later learned they were wealthy, a Hashimi or a non-Muslim, your zakat counts in the Hanafi school and you do not repeat it. According to Imam Abu Hanifah and Imam Muhammad, as recorded in al-Hidayah, the same applies even if the person turns out to be your own father or son; Imam Abu Yusuf held that it must be repeated. Allah asks for care, not knowledge of the unseen.
But if you gave without any thought, to the first person who asked, and it turns out they were not eligible, you must pay that zakat again. There are also a few cases where even careful effort does not save the payment, such as when it turns out to be your own slave in the classical books, because you never really gave it away. If you are unsure about your own case, ask a scholar.
The most common mistakes
- Giving zakat to a masjid building fund. Use general sadaqah for this.
- Giving to your own parent or child. Support them from your own money instead.
- Counting a salary or bonus as zakat. Wages are owed; zakat is separate.
- Assuming anyone who asks is poor. Some people who beg own far more than you.
- Forgetting the needy relative while giving to strangers far away.
How to check eligibility kindly
You need not interrogate anyone. Ask a trusted relative or the imam of your masjid who knows the family. Notice the obvious signs: rent arrears, school fees unpaid, a breadwinner out of work. If you ask directly, ask privately and gently: "Is your situation such that you could accept zakat?" Then give with a warm face and never mention it again, for Allah warns against spoiling charity with reminders and hurt.
To work out how much you owe, use our free zakat calculator, and for ideas on giving beyond zakat, read 40 ways to give sadaqah. If you would like to study the fiqh of worship properly, browse our courses.
Sources
- The Qur'an, Surah At-Tawbah (9), verse 60.
- The Qur'an, Surah Al-Baqarah (2), verse 264.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith 1395: zakat is taken from their rich and given to their poor.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith 1466: two rewards for charity to relatives, of kinship and of charity.
- Sahih Muslim, hadith 1072: charity is not lawful for Muhammad or the family of Muhammad.
- Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith 1491: al-Hasan and the date of charity.
- Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Book of Zakat, chapter on those to whom zakat may be paid.